Dwaipayan Sinha*
Department of Botany
Government General Degree College, Mohanpur, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal-721436, India
*Address for Corresponding author:
Dwaipayan Sinha
Department of Botany,
Government General Degree College, Post office: Siyalsai, Mohanpur, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal-721436 India
Abstract
Cancer is basically uncontrolled proliferation of cells with altered genetic constituents accompanied by migration from one part of the body to another due to loss of their binding ability and interconnectivity. It has already become a global health problem and the occurrence is increasing day by day with urbanisation and changes in dietary patterns constituting the main reason of its occurrence in addition to genetic causes. The aim of this review is to highlight the pharmacological activity of polyphenols against cancers through an in-depth literature survey. Plants contain a number of bioactive compounds amongst which polyphenols constitute a substantial proportion. They act as strong antioxidants which possibly accounts for its pharmacological activities. Presently, there is a constant effort to explore the anticancer activity of polyphenols isolated from plants. This review discusses the current status of some frequently occurring cancers and summarises the pharmacological activity of selected polyphenols on cancers. The mechanism of action of polyphenols in counteracting cancer cells have also been discussed in the review. Extensive literature survey has been made to compile relevant information with PubMed forming the search platform. The review highlights the anticancer activity of selected polyphenols. It is evident that polyphenols inhibit cancers largely by counteracting those cellular processes which inhibits the growth, migration and proliferation of cells. Polyphenols can thus become a potent therapeutic agent for treatment of cancer and requires trials on humans satisfying scientific and ethical formalities.
Keywords: Cancer, metastasis, proliferation, inflammation, antioxidant, flavonoids
